Survey: 1 in 6 U-M students have felt discrimination in past 12 months

Tula Abrams of Detroit grabs a large stuffed animal for her daughter Megan Justice of Detroit as they prepare to move her in at the West Quadrangle on the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor with the help of student Kendall Stephens on Wednesday August 30, 2017 as students move in for the fall session.(Photo: Ryan Garza, Detroit Free Press)Buy Photo

Approximately one in six University of Michigan students report that they felt discriminated against in the past 12 months, according to a new survey of students conducted by the school and released Thursday.

The group that reported the most discrimination? Black students. The most common categories for discrimination among undergraduate students? Political beliefs, racial identity and gender identity.

Those answers mirror what has been happening on the U-M campus in the past year or so. Racist fliers have been found around campus. Black students have pushed for diversity on campus while talking about what it's like to be the only black student in a class. Political conservatives have expressed anger over what they see as liberal bias on the campus and among administrators, including the top levels of the university.

The surveys, which talked to 8,500 students, faculty and staff, were designed by the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, with assistance from two advisory committees and experts from the U-M Institute for Social Research. An outside vendor conducted the study.

"(The survey data) provide us with new evidence that allows us to look at our efforts and problems in a new way," said Robert Sellers, the university's vice provost for equity and inclusion and chief diversity officer. "The plan is to share this data as widely as possible. We want to make sure members in our community have access to the data set."

U-M's top administrators touted the overall positive feelings toward the university's welcoming culture in a news conference unveiling the survey results, but acknowledged there is a lot of work to do.

University of Michigan President Mark Schlissel.(Photo: Carlos Osorio, AP)

"All members of our community belong here and deserve an equal opportunity to thrive," U-M President Mark Schlissel said during the news conference. "We have made good initial progress on many of our goals across the institution in accordance with our Strategic Plan.

"The surveys reveal that the majority of students, faculty and staff are satisfied with the overall climate on our Ann Arbor campus and believe that they are treated fairly and equitably.

"However, it is also very clear that our campus is not a similarly positive place for all members of our community. We are not yet where we want – or need – to be as we strive for a more diverse, more equitable and more inclusive academic community... "

The surveys show that the majority of the community – 72 percent – is satisfied with the climate on the Ann Arbor campus, the school said in a press release. A majority of students, faculty and staff believes the institution is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion. A majority also say they feel they are valued and say they belong, and are growing and thriving at the university.

"Together the findings clearly reinforce the need for a systematic institutional effort to address issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion if all members of the U-M student body are to experience the same positive experiences that are enjoyed by the majority of students," the surveys' supporting documents said.

Minorities — particularly those who identify as black — consistently report having the least positive experiences compared to any other social identity group on campus.

For example, 62% of undergraduate underrepresented minority students and 55% of underrepresented minority faculty said they are satisfied with the campus climate, compared with 72% of the overall U-M community.

Across the U-M community, females, members of the LGBTQ communities, or those with a disability are among other traditionally marginalized groups that have less positive experiences on campus than members of traditionally majority groups, the university said in its press release.

The university launched an $85-million diversity and inclusiveness initiative last year. That included having each individual college develop a diversity plan. Officials touted several of those plans during the rollout of the survey results.

The survey also paints a picture of the campus. For example, 39% of students identify as being agnostic, atheist or having no religious background. The largest religious identity group for staff (43%) and for faculty (28%) was Christian.